How Your Job Can Raise Your Arthritis Risk

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Certain jobs may increase your risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to a study published in Arthritis Care & Research. Airborne agents in the workplace and other work-related environmental factors may contribute to the risk.

The study was conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. Researchers discovered that male workers in manufacturing had a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis than those with professional, administrative, and technical occupations. Within the manufacturing sector, male electrical and electronics workers and material handling operators had twice the RA risk of men in the control group.

In women, assistant nurses and attendants had a slightly higher risk of RA. The researchers controlled for RA risk factors like smoking, alcohol use, and body mass index (BMI).